American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) Practice Exam 2026 – The Complete All-in-One Guide to Exam Success

The outer layer of the retina is where the photoreceptors are located. This layer consists primarily of the outer segments of the photoreceptor cells, which include rods and cones. Rods are responsible for vision in low-light conditions, while cones are essential for color vision and visual acuity. The outer layer of the retina interfaces directly with the retinal pigment epithelium, which plays a crucial role in supporting the function and health of these photoreceptors.

Understanding the structure of the retina is vital, as it helps explain how visual signals are processed. The inner layers of the retina mainly consist of different types of neurons that process and relay signals from the photoreceptors to the brain, but they do not contain the photoreceptors themselves. Therefore, recognizing the specific layers and their functions is important for a comprehensive understanding of visual physiology.